I just spent some time with GM’s East Coast press fleet. While there’s the hardcore stuff like the 2008 Corvette in all its 436HP, Z51 glory, there’s another new GM that you have to check out. As an affordable performance drag/road racer, I rarely get impressed by the typical citizen vehicles––sheetmetal for the masses that, in GM’s case anyway, we’ve gotten too accustomed to being bland and boring. That being said, it gives my next statement even more weight: you have to get out there and test-drive the new 2008 Cadillac CTS! I don’t know how you all felt about the previous CTS, but I felt it was severely lacking in interior and exterior design––and power of course. Whatever shortcomings that model had are gone baby gone for the ’08 version. An edgy but sexy exterior sucks you in immediately––especially when slathered with our tester’s $995 Crystal Red Tintcoat paint. Inside is an updated interior featuring outstanding seats, good trim, and techie options like a 40GB hard drive, hideaway navigation screen, and good Bose 8-speaker stereo. The RWD-only FE3 suspension and its capable set of 13.6/13.4-inch brakes do a great job with that sporty feel, but the real star here is the 304-horsepower, 273-foot-pound, direct-inject 3.6L V-6. While a bit slower in the AWD-equipped CTS, the rear-drive model is quick, and very responsive. Six-second 0-60s and 14-second quarters are within reach of this sweet $35,000 Caddy. This ride is a no-brainer for the wife, girlfriend, dad, mom, and other “non-car” people in your family, as it’s a perfect combo of performance, eye-catching looks, and cool options. But throw me a 304HP AWD version for these New York winters, and I’d be in hog heaven. Drive this bad boy and tell me I’m wrong!